Health
Americans are having fewer babies as birth rate hits historic low, CDC reveals
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the birth rate in America has dropped to a historic low, decreasing by 3% since 2022.
The rate has been on a steady decline since 2014, except for a brief 1% increase from 2020 to 2021.
In recent years, the priorities of young Americans have been changing, including the desire to have children, the data suggests.
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Experts say this drop-off could be caused by many factors — including a heightened focus on career goals, the cost of raising children, a priority on personal liberty and mental health, the fear of an uncertain future and growing fertility concerns.
The birth rate has dropped to a historic low, decreasing by 3% since 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in April. (iStock)
Career comes first?
Kyle Elliott, a career coach and job search expert based in Santa Barbara, California, told Fox News Digital about a lack of interest in having children among working professionals.
“I am seeing a huge increase in the focus of careers among Americans,” he said.
“In the past, there were certain expectations in place — now, the path isn’t as predictable or expected.”
“They’re recognizing that it’s more challenging to balance work and life because their careers are taking up more time.”
Many Americans are working 50 to 60 hours per week, according to Elliott.
“Trying to balance that is a lot more difficult than it was 20, 10 or even five years ago,” he said.
Many Americans today are working 50 to 60 hours per week, which makes having children nearly impossible, one expert suggested. (iStock)
Individuals who work extended hours are more likely to meet their career goals and earn more money, he said — so many find it “helpful” to forgo parenting commitments.
Company policies for parental leave and child care also come into play, Elliott said.
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While some American businesses have improved accommodations for new parents, the U.S. is “still far behind compared to other countries,” he said.
When employees return from maternity or paternity leave, they’re often still responsible for child care, Elliott noted, which can be “really difficult to balance.”
To recruit and retain employees, one expert suggested that companies should continue providing thoughtful accommodations for families. (iStock)
“I think it would benefit both the employee and the employer if organizations provided more accommodations, whether that’s child care or additional leave or more flexibility, such as remote work or work from anywhere,” he said.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity to better support parents,” he said, expressing his professional opinion.
Cost of childrearing
The cost of having a child can be daunting for some young Americans, as inflation remains high in many U.S. states, the Labor Department has reported.
A middle-income married couple with two children can expect to pay about $306,924 to raise a child born in 2023, according to data from Credit Karma.
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This estimate is based on a 2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture study.
Cost factors include housing (about 30% of total expenses), food, child care and education, transportation, health care, clothing and other items.
Day care alone could cost up to $17,000 per year in some states, according to 2023 data from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The cost of child care has become “astronomical,” one expert said. (iStock)
There could also be the added cost of saving for the child’s future, including college planning.
Dr. Michele Borba, a California-based educational psychologist and parenting expert, agreed that finances are a “huge factor” in terms of two working parents deciding to have a baby.
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“The cost of child care is unbelievably astronomical, and it’s unaffordable for a lot of parents,” she told Fox News Digital.
Years ago, “you had a nuclear family, or you had a mom who lived next door … and a lot of times, [people] don’t have that” now.
Changing culture and politics
The American family unit has shifted from earlier generations, as many couples are choosing to get married at older ages and limit the number of kids they have, if any, experts say.
Borba, author of “Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine,” emphasized an increased focus on mental health and the need for parents to be mentally strong to raise a child.
“We’re seeing not only a halt in pregnancies, but a halt in larger families,” one psychologist said about today’s parenting situation. (iStock)
Many Americans do not have a secure support system to help raise a child, the psychologist noted, and single parenting is “even harder” for unmarried individuals.
A desire for personal freedom can also play a role in a decision not to have children, she noted.
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Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist and author based in New York City, said he believes politics has played a role in people’s decisions to have children or not.
“Patients often cite their reasons as, ‘I don’t want to add to the carbon footprint’ or ‘I don’t want to contribute to overpopulation,’ while others feel great insecurity about the state of the world and say, ‘The world is too dangerous of a place to raise a child,’” he told Fox News Digital.
Parents are often more stressed than their own children, one psychologist noted. (iStock)
Among those “more moderate” politically, Alpert said, “they worry about what it would be like to raise a kid in the climate of pronouns, boys competing in girls’ sports, and boys and girls sharing locker rooms.”
Other people simply don’t feel the pressure to have kids as people once did, the psychologist noted.
“In the past, there were certain expectations in place — go to school, meet someone, get married, have kids. Now, the path isn’t as predictable or expected.”
Fear of the unknown
Many adults are also burdened by feelings of uncertainty about the future, Borba said, which can result in a “doom and gloom” perspective when considering whether to bring a human being into the world.
Some parents may ask themselves, “Is this the right kind of place to have a child?” or “Should I bring a human into this world when I don’t feel secure myself?”
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Parenting “isn’t as relaxed” as it used to be decades ago, when parents took more of a hands-off approach and there was less emphasis on accelerated development and hyper-safety, according to Borba.
Parenting “isn’t as relaxed” as it used to be decades ago, one expert said. (iStock)
Kids in previous generations had “a lot more free time, a lot more play,” Borba said.
“Those are things that aren’t part of our kids’ world right now, unfortunately. A lot of [prospective] parents are growing up in a fear-based world, and that’s impacting their decisions.”
Fertility obstacles
The chances of a woman experiencing fertility and pregnancy problems can be another deterrent to having children.
That’s according to Dr. Jillian LoPiano, a Miami-based OB-GYN and chief health officer at the reproductive telehealth platform Wisp, who told Fox News Digital that the health and cost implications of childbirth could cause couples to decide against becoming parents.
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The U.S. is currently experiencing a maternal mortality crisis, LoPiano said.
In 2021, the maternal death rate was 32 out of 100,000 births, which reportedly doubles and triples the current rates in other similarly resourced countries.
The Caesarean delivery rate increased for the fourth year in a row, according to CDC data from 2023. (iStock)
This could be due to the increase in maternal age, chronic health conditions and pregnancy-related health conditions that can appear at an “extreme age spectrum,” LoPiano said.
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“Lack of access to adequate prenatal care, health care costs and restrictive reproductive health care laws all contribute to poor outcomes,” she said.
Socioeconomic factors and other insecurities also play a role in the declining birth rate, LoPiano told Fox News Digital.
‘Should I have a baby?’
For couples who are on the fence about having a child, Borba encouraged them to use their best judgment.
“Nobody knows yourself better,” she said. “In the end, you know who you are and what you can give, so make the decision based on what’s best for your family and your child.”
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Borba suggested writing down the reasons in a journal and leaning on a trusted support system.
“If you want to stick to a decision, you need to be firm and understand your ‘why,’ which means you need to do a little reflective measure,” she advised.
“In the end, you know who you are and what you can give, so make the decision based on what’s best for your family and your child,” one psychologist said. (iStock)
Borba also emphasized the importance of being on the same page as your partner when it comes to having children.
If mental health is the main concern, she suggested seeking help from a provider who can help clarify the decision.
Long-term effects
Overall, Alpert said, it is natural for birth rates to “ebb and flow” over time.
“There’s probably no reason to be alarmed [by today’s declining birth rates],” he told Fox News Digital.
“A lot of [prospective] parents are growing up in a fear-based world, and that’s impacting their decisions.”
“That said, if there’s a significant decline, the proportion of the elderly population would increase relative to births, which could strain the health care system as more resources are put into medical care for the aging population.”
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There would also be fewer people entering the workforce and less spending, Alpert added — resulting in slower economic growth and potentially adversely affecting the Social Security system.
FOX Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.
The prevalence of cancer among men is expected to skyrocket globally in the coming decades, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society (ACS).
To predict future risk, Australian researchers analyzed the mortality rates tied to 30 different types of cancer among adult men in 2022, based on data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer across 185 countries and territories.
Based on those findings, they predicted that between 2022 and 2050, men’s cancer cases will spike by around 84% — going from 10.3 million to 19 million.
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Male cancer deaths are expected to increase by 93% in that same time frame, reaching 10.5 million by 2050.
Cases are expected to more than double among men 65 and older, as well as for those who live in areas with a low or medium Human Development Index (HDI, a measure of a country’s average rankings in health, knowledge and standard of living).
The prevalence of cancer among men is expected to skyrocket globally in the coming decades, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society. (iStock)
Poorer survival is also projected for rare cancers, such as pancreatic.
The findings were published in Cancer, the journal of the ACS.
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In 2020, men were 43% more likely to die of cancer than women, and their diagnosis rate was 19% higher, statistics show.
Men have been shown previously to engage more in modifiable risk factors for cancer, including smoking and consuming alcohol.
They are also less likely to get regular screenings for male-specific cancers, the study authors noted.
Experts predict that between 2022 and 2050, men’s cancer cases will spike by around 84% — going from 10.3 million to 19 million. (iStock)
The 10 cancers with the highest age-standardized mortality rates among men are lung cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, leukemia, bladder cancer, and cancers of the brain and central nervous system.
To help reduce the impact of cancers on men, the researchers called for reducing modifiable risk factors and making male-specific screenings more accessible, among other efforts.
Men have previously been shown to engage more in modifiable risk factors for cancer, including smoking and consuming alcohol. (iStock)
“Strengthening health infrastructure, enhancing workforce quality and access, fostering national and international collaborations, and promoting universal health coverage are crucial to reducing cancer disparities and ensuring cancer equity among men globally,” the study authors wrote.
Potential limitations
The researchers acknowledged some limitations of the study, including the quality of the data provided by some countries and territories.
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“Estimates in low-HDI and medium-HDI countries could be less accurate because the majority of these jurisdictions have relatively low-quality cancer registries and/or civil and vital statistics registration systems,” the authors wrote.
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They also noted that some “measures of cancer burden, such as years of life lost or years lived with disability,” were not available in the original data and could not be included in the study.
Fox News Digital reached out to the ACS and physicians for comment.
Hundreds of lives are lost each year on U.S. waterways due to recreational boating accidents that can be prevented, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Last summer, 564 deaths and 2,126 non-fatal injuries from boating accidents were reported, according to a May press release from the U.S. Coast Guard — with the highest number of deaths occurring in the summer months of July and August.
Alcohol was noted as the leading factor in those deaths, contributing to 17% of total fatalities.
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Intoxication also played a role in 13% of all non-fatal boating injuries and property damage, which totaled $63 million in 2023.
“That’s why I never go on a boat on a weekend in the summer,” Mike from Long Island, New York, who did not want to share his last name, told Fox News Digital.
Hundreds of lives are lost each year on U.S. waterways due to recreational boating accidents that can be prevented, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. (iStock)
“I know more people will be on the water and likely drinking.”
He said that while spending time on the water with family and friends, he’s witnessed boaters driving erratically and speeding with an alcoholic beverage in hand.
Deadly consequences
Just as with driving drunk on the road, boating under the influence is illegal and can have deadly consequences, water safety experts told Fox News Digital.
Alcohol is known to cause impaired judgment, balance, coordination and reaction time — all of which can put boat operators and their passengers at risk for accidents and fatalities.
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It can also impact vision, leading to “decreased peripheral vision, reduced depth perception, decreased night vision, poor focus, and difficulty in distinguishing colors (particularly red and green),” according to the Coast Guard’s website.
“Alcohol and drug use on the water can be more hazardous than on land, as the combination of the marine environment motion, vibration, engine, noise, sun, wind and spray accelerates a user’s impairment,” Megan Ferraro, executive director of The ZAC Foundation, a water safety organization in Greenwich, Connecticut, told Fox News Digital.
Alcohol is known to cause impaired judgment, balance, coordination and reaction time — all of which can put boat operators and their passengers at risk for accidents and fatalities. (iStock)
“Alcohol consumption on the water also increases the likelihood of dangerous behaviors, such as swimming while intoxicated, falling overboard or capsizing the boat,” she went on.
“It can also increase the risk of hypothermia in the water.”
“Alcohol and drug use on the water can be more hazardous than on land.”
Drinking while boating or swimming is a lethal combination, Ferraro said — especially among young adults.
Among recreational water deaths involving U.S. adolescents, 30% to 70% occur while drinking alcohol and swimming or boating, she stated.
A boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above 0.10% is more than 10 times as likely to die in a boating accident compared to an individual who did not consume alcohol, according to a Coast Guard estimate.
Among recreational water deaths involving U.S. adolescents, 30% to 70% occur while they’re drinking alcohol and swimming or boating, an expert said. (iStock)
Alcohol also contributes to nearly a third of drownings each year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.
“For lots of people, summer is a time to get outside and enjoy activities with friends and family,” Dr. George F. Koob, PhD, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), said in a comment to Fox News Digital.
“Sometimes these activities involve alcohol.”
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Alcohol can put a damper on summer festivities, Koob warned — “from increasing the risk of sunburns to causing boating accidents and drownings.”
Boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs (BUI) is illegal in every state, the Coast Guard also said.
Penalties can include fines, loss of boating privileges and even jail time.
6 tips for staying safe on the water
Besides alcohol consumption, the Coast Guard report also cited factors like operator inattention or inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed, and failure of machinery as contributing factors in boating accidents.
The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that life jackets could have saved the lives of more than 80% of boating fatality victims. (iStock)
The U.S. Coast Guard website and water safety experts offered the below tips for staying safe while boating.
1. Avoid alcoholic beverages
Designating a “sober captain” will help to ensure the safety of everyone on board and potentially others on the water, experts agreed.
The U.S. Coast Guard recommends that operators take a boating safety course. (iStock)
“This person must refrain from consuming alcohol or drugs and always remain alert and capable of piloting the vessel safely,” Ferraro said.
Koob also recommended avoiding alcoholic beverages while piloting a boat, driving a car, exploring the wilderness, and swimming or surfing.
Bringing along non-alcoholic beverages will help keep everyone refreshed and deter passengers and the boat operator from drinking alcohol, Ferraro added.
“Having no alcohol while aboard is the safest way to enjoy the water, as intoxicated passengers are also at risk of injury and falls overboard,” the Coast Guard said on its website.
2. Remain vigilant
“Boaters should remain vigilant on the water, as most incidents occur when you might least expect them – in good visibility, calm waters and little wind,” Capt. Amy Beach, director of inspections and compliance at the U.S. Coast Guard, said in a May 2024 news release.
A boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration above 0.10% is more than 10 times as likely to die in a boating accident.
The most frequent events involve collisions with other vessels, objects or groundings, she pointed out — “which is why it is so important to keep a proper lookout, navigate at a safe speed, adhere to navigation rules and obey navigation aids.”
3. Wear US Coast Guard-approved life jackets
The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that life jackets could have saved the lives of more than 80% of boating fatality victims, according to its website.
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Accidents can occur at high speeds on the water, leaving little time to reach for a stowed life jacket, the organization added.
4. Perform a vessel safety check
This will ensure the boat is operating properly, the Coast Guard advised.
The operator should also ensure that passengers are aware of propeller hazard areas and should account for passengers and children.
Passengers should not be permitted to ride where they can fall overboard.
If someone falls overboard, the Coast Guard recommends stopping the boat and making sure the area is clear to start the recovery process. (iStock)
If small children will be on board, experts recommend babyproofing or childproofing the boat just as you would at home.
5. Ensure safe pickups
If someone falls overboard, the Coast Guard recommends stopping the boat and making sure the area is clear to start the recovery process.
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Never put a boat in reverse to pick someone up out of the water, the agency states.
Instead, the operator should keep the person visible at all times and circle around going forward.
6. Consider taking a boating safety course
The U.S. Coast Guard recommends on its website that operators take a boating safety course. These courses are offered throughout the country, via organizations such as the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadron and many state boating agencies.
Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard for comment.
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